


Sacrifice

by deathwailart



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Angst, Backstory, F/M, Headcanon, M/M, Post-Canon, Sacrifice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-28
Updated: 2014-07-28
Packaged: 2018-02-10 18:53:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2036217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deathwailart/pseuds/deathwailart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some part of him has always known that there would be sacrifice involved in this.</p>
<p>Written for the 30 day drabble challenge: sacrifice</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sacrifice

Some part of him has always known that there would be sacrifice involved in this. It's not as if it's a foreign notion to him because when you live life on the run, you learn to sacrifice. Lots of little things like leaving friends behind and not being able to tell them where you are because you might be easier to track down that way. The first boy you ever kissed, the first girl you had a roll in the hay with, the first boy you brought home to dinner when you got older. When he actually had free time that didn't involve helping with the twins and having to be the extra pair of hands whenever father was working or away or whenever mother turned her hand to something to bring in some extra coin. Leaving behind a home he loved – especially when they lived in Amaranthine, he'd _loved_ Amaranthine and all the people, loved how vibrant and alive it was – and anything deemed too much to carry, non-essential, especially once they had to move with the twins. If it was valuable, they sold it because coin was always useful when you were a family, when sometimes quick wit and a smile couldn't get you what you wanted or needed, when palms needed greased. If it wasn't but you couldn't quite justify why you wanted to bring it along then there it remained in the empty house for the new owners to discover.  
  
Small sacrifices. Even mother's seems bigger than his when she ran away from a comfortable life to have one on the run and after what he saw dealing with the Grey Wardens, where his father sacrificed his principles to ensure Leandra and Ruairidh himself would be safe. Ruairidh and his father didn't always get on but he didn't ever doubt that his father did what he did out of love even if Ruairidh used to say he could be as sanctimonious as a the old biddies in the Chantry but knowing all that, knowing that he did all that so Ruairidh got to live and grow, it's hard.  
  
It's why he goes with Anders in the end after all is said and done. After the tearful goodbye to Aveline because they argued but she was there from the start. He hugs Carver and they're both laughing and crying and Nathaniel breaks in to quietly say that, should they need to, they'll be welcome to come and rest their heads and Zevran assures them that the Warden-Commander would be happy to see them as well. They all sail quietly, Fenris and Isabela smiling and happy and Ruairidh can picture them sailing off into the sunset together, one day with an elf-blooded child or two, sailing the seas, happy and free. Merrill gets off before the rest of them when they stop at a port, makes excuses about finding a clan and Ruairidh wishes her luck because it isn't his place to try to pick and choose how she lives her life. Varric says he's going to stay for a while, let Kirkwall cool off before he heads back so Anders and Ruairidh leave before him and Varric gets to see a human cry when they say goodbye because he couldn't have done any of this without Varric. Fenris wishes him all the best in Tevinter and he manages to hug him, even in all that spiky armour. Isabela muffles a sob into his neck when she throws her arms around him and from both of them come the assurances: if you need us, we'll find you and we'll whisk you off to the open sea and adventure.  
  
They look peaceful when he waves at them from the docks. They've more than earned it and any trouble they find, he hopes they utterly trounce it and live like a queen and her king out on the ocean.  
  
"You're really doing this with me," Anders says as they shoulder their packs and draw a few looks because they've got a hulking mabari with them – Ruairidh got rid of the Champion's armour and the fancy robes from the chateau, Anders only kept his feathered pauldrons, they're in plain robes, things Ruairidh looted but kept because they're not as fancy as some things, not as protected, not as good at bolstering magic but they're comfortable and that counts for a lot. They've got cloaks over their staves and they look like a couple of vagrants on an adventure.  
  
"I love you," Ruairidh replies, taking Anders' hand in his. "You make sacrifices for the ones you love."  
  
It's not a smile from Anders but it's the closest he's seen since Ruairidh said he'd fight with the Mages so he shoulders his pack and nods for Anders to lead the way to whatever group of Apostates he said they should look for first.


End file.
